Jack Worthington, Self-Proclaimed J.F.K. Progeny, Seeks Presidency

Read more on Worthington: “A Claim to Camelot,” by David Friend., Photograph by Harry Benson.

Perhaps the dream of a second Kennedy presidency does not end with congressional hopeful/emotionally committed long-distance VF Daily boyfriend, Joseph Kennedy III. No, hope rises anew with dubiously alleged Camelot ancestor Jack Worthington, the square-jawed financier whose claim to be the son of John F. Kennedy Jr. was the subject of an exhaustive and rather skeptical 2008 Vanity Fairinvestigation. “His mother, an exquisite beauty queen in her youth, met John F. Kennedy soon after he became President through an introduction from Vice President Lyndon Johnson, a close family friend,” Douglas Caddy, Worthington’s lawyer at the time, wrote in an introductory letter to Vanity Fair. “Members of his mother’s family were political allies of LBJ during his ascent to power. His mother . . only recently told my client that John F. Kennedy was his father.” The search for proof of kinship was ultimately inconclusive, though his mother, through a family spokesman, denied her son’s claims, insisting she had never met L.B.J. nor J.F.K.

Similarly inconclusive, according to Worthington, are the presidential bona fides of Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and Rick Santorum. “I just don’t see an existing candidate who has the full executive package we need at this critical juncture in history,” Worthington said in a poorly sound-mixed YouTube video. In addition, there are 16 (!) more videos, each focusing on a different aspect of his platform.

Worthington is seeking the presidential nomination through the Americans Elect online primary, a worthy but somewhat flawed grass-roots-ish effort—seeded with $5 million from venture capitalist and FreshDirect.com co-founder Peter Ackerman, and supported by George W. Bush strategist Mark McKinnon—to popularize a popularly selected candidate. “Our process is open to any qualified candidate and any registered voter—no matter their party. We have no ties to any political group—left, right, or center. We don't promote any issues, ideology or candidates,” the group said in a statement on its Web site. “Our only goal is to put a directly-nominated ticket on the ballot in 2012.” Current draftees include Ron Paul, Buddy Roemer, Gary Johnson, Joe Scarborough, and Barack Obama (?). Will Worthington prove the most popular candidate of all? After all, he was born exactly two years (to the day) after J.F.K.’S assassination (November 22, 1961), was raised in delegate-rich Texas, and over the years has been close with George W. Bush’s brother Neil’s ex-wife, Sharon Bush. Those are several definitive things one could say about him!